The choices we make
by Magic halfblood
Summary: one shot, sequel to broken spirit. read after 'Mi6's decision'.


"Mi6 ceased the searching." Wolf said as Tom and Sabina entered his house, 7 months after Alex had disappeared.  
"What?!" They both exclaimed.  
"No" Tom said. "No they can't do that. Alex is still out there. He's alive."  
"Mi6 can't continue the search if there hasn't been a sign of him for 6 months." Ben said. "He's been declared KIA"  
"But he's not dead" Sabina argued.  
"They can't ask units to keep looking for one person if there has been not a single sign of his survival." Wolf answered. "Even if that person is the best agent in the world."  
"He's not dead." Sabina said again, trying to convince the soldiers.  
"We know he's not dead" Eagle said quietly.  
"What?" Tom said shocked. "Then why did you stop the search.  
"We didn't" eagle said smirking. "Mi6 did. We on the other hand, think that if the best agent in the Whole entire world was to truly die, then the whole world would collapse. Especially if it's Cub. He would not go down without a dramatic end. Being kidnapped by a the best terrorist organisation seems like too simple for him."  
Tom grinned as well. "You got that right. so what are you going to do about the search."  
"Well, we can't let mi6 or the SAS know that we are continuing the search because they will see it as a waste of time. So we do it secretly. We still need to go to Brecon Beacons every now and then for recap training, and we still have our missions to go on. But in between and maybe during, we will search."  
The teenagers nodded relieved.  
"I'm going to help as well." Sabina said suddenly. "I'm going to university soon and I've always wanted to take up journalism like my dad. And now I have a purpose." Sabina smiled proudly.  
"Me as well." Tom stated. "I've decided what I wanted to do."  
"What? Finally." Sabina said. "Honesty I was beginning to think you were planning to stay in sixth form for the rest of your life. What did you decide you wanted to do?"  
"I want to join the SAS" he said quietly.  
Everyone snapped their gazes to him.  
After a too long silence, Tom cleared his throat.  
"I started thinking about it a couple of weeks ago. I've done a lot of research, and i think that... I want to join. I read that there were lots of tests and selections to get through first, and to test that you've got the potential, and I want to see if I'm up for it."  
"That's great Tom!" Sabina said. "I don't think I've ever heard you sound so serious about your future."  
The two teenagers looked at k-unit.  
Tom tried to imagine what they were thinking. Were they laughing at him? Or thinking him stupid? Thinking him immature?  
Suddenly, the path he was so sure on setting didn't seem so sure.  
They all had serious looks on their face, eyes not revealing anything. Fox leaning on the wall, analysing Tom. Wolf standing near the door, eyes slightly narrowed. Snake was sitting on the couch eyes slightly widened.  
Suddenly eagle grinned. "Who knew we were such good influence? It's not going to be easy Tom, not at all. But if you think you can do it, then by all means, go ahead."  
Tom breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Eagle. How hard was it to pass the selection?"  
Eagle winced. "Pretty darn hard. Only 10 out of 125 recruits made it. And that's not the hardest part. There are other stuff that you have to consider first. Are you sure this is the path you to take?"  
Tom nodded.  
Snake looked at Tom. "I think you've got potential. Fox?"  
Fox looked at Tom carefully. "It's going to be very very hard. But you can do it. Wolf?"  
Wolf remained silent the longest, trying to analyse the pros and cons. Finally he smirked. "Well we've got 1 year and a half until you're old enough. We have some serious training to do."

The next year and a half was the toughest for Tom-yet. He still had no idea about what was in store during selection.  
Every morning he was to wake up at 6am to meet either Snake or Ben at the local park. They would then run for an hour. Each day going faster and faster until they were flat out sprinting.  
He did endurance tests with Wolf. The man was a monster when it came to training, pushing Tom to beyond his limits.  
Then came swimming. How much Tom hated swimming.  
They would make him swim in the water no matter what the temperature. On some winter days, the water was so cold that Tom thought he would get hypothermia. But he never did.  
They also did hiking through forests and woods carrying bags that weighed 10kg.  
When Tom turned 17, Eagle began taking him to shooting practice, three times a week.  
No matter how much Tom and eagle connected personality wise, during training Eagle was a madman. Never letting Tom rest until he was finished. Narrowing down to every last miniature mistake that Tom made. And it didn't help that Tom was horrible at it. He naturally had a deficiency when it came to concentration. Asking him to stare at a dot to aim and shoot was just torture.

On the days that Sabina was free, she would come to either watch or join them, usually bringing snacks with her to secretly give to Tom. They always got caught but it never stopped her. Even if she was forced to do push ups and run 10 laps around the whole perimeter of the park.  
On the eve of toms 18th birthday, the six of them met in their local pub, as they did every so often.  
"Tomorrow's the big day Tom" Sabina said, "You ready?"  
"I was born ready" he declared, puffing out his chests.  
Eagle choked on his bear, and Fox had to slap his back to save him.  
"If you do that in front of the sergeant, he would bin you before you even enter the camp."  
"I'm sure the sergeant would be as lovely as Wolf" Tom said batting his eyelashes at Wolf, and earned a glare.  
"The sergeant is way worse" said Snake. "You think this year and a half have been hard, then you have no idea. Selection is the toughest process on earth, those who survive are few."  
"But you guys survived" Tom said optimistically, "and if you guys survived then how could I possible fail."  
The soldiers took a moment to realise the insult. "Hey!" Eagle shouted. "You're talking to the British elite over here, keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you maggot."  
They all burst out laughing at Eagle's horrible impersonation of the sergeant.  
"What would the sergeant do if he heard you?" Tom said between laughs.  
"Actually" Snake said smiling mischievously at eagle. "There was this one time when-"  
"On no you don't Snake. Don't you dare say it."  
"Eagle was in the canteen doing some impersonations of people to make the soldiers laugh."  
"Snake i swear if you carry on I'm going to beat the crap out of you."  
"And then he did the sergeant."  
"Snake I'm going to put a bloody bullet through your head."  
"But nobody laughed at it."  
"Snake"  
"So Eagle did it again. And when nobody laughed, he turned around and came first to face with the sergeant."  
The lot of them burst out laughing except for Eagle who just glared at them. "I got punishment duty for a month. The canteen and I became very close acquaintances."  
"Didn't you get binned?" Sabina asked.  
"No. thank goodness. We had just passed selection. Although the sergeant never liked me after that."  
"Or after you accidentally put pink dye in his shampoo." Snake added  
"Of after you swapped all the guns with bubble guns." Fox said.  
"Or after you threw him a surprise party when you found out his birthday."  
"Hey that last one wasn't only me" eagle defended. "The whole camp was in on it, but the sergeant only punishes me. god knows how he found out I was the one in charge. And to think he would be grateful for his party." Eagle muttered.  
Tom and Sabina were in fits of laughter by the end of the evening, the soldiers recapping their stories, mostly revolving around Eagle and the sergeant.

That night, they were all having a sleepover at Snakes house to celebrate the end.  
During the night, Wolf woke up and went to the kitchen. There he saw Tom sitting on the chair, with a mug in his hand.  
Wolf was struck by the memory of Cub, the only difference was this time, Tom looked up as Wolf walked in.  
"Hey" he whispered.  
"Hey" Wolf replied.  
"What are you doing up?" Wolf asked Tom.  
"I'm thinking."  
"About what?"  
"Stuff"  
Wolf raised an eyebrow.  
"What kind of stuff?"  
"Alex" Tom admitted defeatedly.  
Wolf made his cup of coffee and sat down in front of Tom.  
"I think Alex would be very proud if he could see you now."  
"Would he?"  
"Tom look at me. The SAS isn't the same as mi6. The SAS hate mi6. Alex would be proud if he could see you. I know he would. You're pursuing a career that you've worked hard for. And it's a career that helps people, saves lives."  
"I'm also doing it for Alex" Tom whispered. He hadn't told any of them that. "If I'm a trained soldier, I would be better, more help in searching for him."  
Wolf sighed. "I know." At toms surprised look he expanded. "I guessed."  
He chose his next words very carefully. "But you have to understand. Joining the SAS is a big decision. You have to do it for yourself as much, and more than for Alex."  
After a minute of silence, Tom whispered into the darkness.  
"What happened to Alex, will it happen to me?" That was the fear that had been coursing through him. They already had had the conversation about what some missions could do to your psyche, but this fear hadn't been quenched.  
"Listen" wolf said choosing his words carefully. "the SAS is not easy, it's difficult to get into, and even harder to stay in. The missions you will go on will not be easy. After some you may need to see psychiatrists. There is possibility of interrogation, of torture. But you already knew that." Wolf paused. "But you haven't been blackmailed into this, you have a purpose for doing this, you want to do this. And you know how to take care of yourself. You're not a child."  
Wolf checked the time. "You turned into an adult 3 hours ago. Other than that, you are not alone, you have us, and your new unit, once you pass.  
You have reason to be afraid. But not of what happened to Alex. You'll pass Tom. With the training of the past year and a half, there is very little doubt. But you have to have the determination to keep going, to see it through to the very end. Otherwise all that hard work won't be worth it, that's when Alex will be disappointed."  
Wolf held Tom's eye for 30 seconds, before the child turned adult finally smirked. "Who knew Wolf was a man of such sincere words?"  
"Shut it brat."  
"You can't call me a brat, I'm not a child anymore."  
"You'll be a brat even when you're fifty"  
"Hey that's not fair!."  
"If your speaking like that then I might as well raise it to sixty."  
"Hey-"  
"Go to sleep Tom, I'm not in the mood now."  
"Awwww is little Wolf on-" at wolf's glare, Tom cut himself off. "Going to sleep now. Night Wolfy."  
Tom walked out of the room, completely oblivious to the glare sent by Wolf.

After completing the1 year Army course, Tom, at the age of nineteen, was finally ready for the SAS.  
He looked up at the sign, as he stepped on wet welsh mud.  
'Who dares, win'


End file.
